Northampton County Jail Count Put At 309

The average daily population in Northampton County Prison for the first four months of this year was 309, Warden Robert A. Olander told the county prison commission yesterday.

Olander said the population's low point this year was in January when daily levels were just under 300 inmates. Last month, Olander said the population hit a high of 320.

The average population in the county's work release facility during the same period was 50, Olander said, with half of those convicted of drunken driving.

County officials are looking at alternatives to incarceration in the main prison for those convicted of minor, non-violent crimes.

In other matters, Olander said the prison's new behavioral wing opened last week. The wing can house a total of 19 inmates and will be used in part to house inmates when they are first admitted to the prison.

The delay in placing inmates into the general prison population allows prison officials adequate time to classify and medically screen the prisoners. Olander said the wing can also be used to house inmates with psychological problems.

The wing is part of along-term, multimillion-dollar expansion program at the prison which has basically ended. New women's quarters were also included in the expansion plan.